Kerak castle is located in Jordan and one of the largest castles of the Levant. Due to its ideal location east of the Dead Sea, it controlled trade routes from Damascus to Egypt and Mecca. Representing the latest in Crusader castle technology, Kerak castle had sloping walls and an immense entry system of winding tunnels which could stop any siege. Raynald of Chatillon - the Prince of Antioch and Lord of Oultrejordain - gained possession of Kerak castle through marriage and used it as a launching point to harass trade camel trains and even threaten Mecca itself. Raynald is the infamous father of Anna of Antioch - the focus of our spotlight. As portrayed in the film Kingdom of Heaven, Raynald was Known as the truce breaker - he would frequently attack caravans between Egypt and Syria becoming one of the wealthiest barons of the realm. Raynald was the only Christian leader who pursued an offensive policy against Saladin through vicious acts of plunder.

At the Battle of Montgisard depicted in this painting, Raynald led the armies of then 16 year old leper King Baldwin IV to victory over Saladin - who was forced to flee to Cairo with only 10 percent of his army left - Saladin swore he would never forgive Raynald. Raynald in turn was appointed regent by King Baldwin IV in 1177. In 1186 one of the caravan attacks led to the death of Saladins sister. Saladin demanded the return of her body and Raynald executed the messengers. Infuriated Saladin declared war and had amassed a much larger army than ever before with about 30,000 strong versus the still formidable Christian army of approximately 7000. By this time King Baldwin had passed away and his successor was Guy of Lusignan - who had married Sibylla, the sister of Baldwin IV.

The Battle of Hattin marks a turning point in history. Saladin began by ravaging the countryside and sending horse archers to probe Christian defenses. Ultimately luring the powerful enemy out of their safe defensive positions during a heat wave, Saladin was able to harass his enemy as they marched in the hot countryside without water to drink. During the night they set fires to their camps and exchaust them further with guerilla attacks. The next day the tired out Christian forces are once again dispersed and very thirsty - desperate for a drink they rush up the hillside of the Horns of Hattin to find water - which of course is not there on arrival thanks to a perfectly executed trap. Overheated and barely able to lift their swords the Christians struggle to put up a fight. King Guy himself surrenders unable to lift his sword. The army is crushed and could not be replaced - without it Christian towns, castles and cities became defenseless.

Raynald of Chatillon was captured and personally killed by Saladin. Kerak castle which had survived multiple sieges in the past was without reenforcements and fell to Saladin. By 1188 only Tyre and Acre hold out and spur on the 4th Crusade. Raynald had three children - Anna of Antioch was the eldest and lived in Constantinople marrying Bela III - who became the famous king of Hungary. His second daughter Alice married an Italian nobleman and he had a son named Baldwin who died leading a Byzantine cavalry regiment. Anna was ultimately buried in the Royal Basilica in Budapest next to Bela III - their skeletons were found intact and her DNA analyzed. Shown here is a facial reconstruction of how she looked. She had at least 6 children - 4 of which became prominent in the royal houses of Bohemia, Byzantium and Hungary. She is the known ancestor of Hungarian, Piast, Luxembourg, Habsburg and Pfemyslid families. Perhaps you too are related!